Wafer gager



July 15, 1958 R. L. HENRY, JR 2,843,263

WAFER GAGER Filed Feb. 25, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 l2 MIMI v/ M IN V EN T Ol ROBERT 1.. HE/vm; 11R.

July 15, 1958 R. L. HENRY, JR 3,

I WAFER GAGER Filed Feb. 25, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. ROBE R7 L.HENR) JR.

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2,843,263 Patented July 15, 1958 WAFER GAGER .Robert L. Henry, .lr., Montgomery County, Md., assignor to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy -Application February 25, 1955, Serial No. 490,708

2 Claims. (Cl. 209-104) (Granted under Title 35, U. S. Code (1952), sec. 266) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States -.of America for governmental purposes without the pay- ..ment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

The present invention relates to a wafer gager to gage the size of rectangular, thin objects, and more particularly to a machine WhiChhaS a plurality of means forgaging various dimensions of such an object sequentially and automatically.

An object of this invention is to provide a wafer gager that is automatic in operation.

Another object is the provision of a machinethat will reject all wafers which are too thick, too.-.wide or too narrow, and to accept and collect at one point all wafers, which are of proper size.

' .Yet another objectis to provide a Wafergager which -is rapid and accurate in operation.

;Still another object is to provide a process for gaging rectangular wafers.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages .of this invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following ,-detailed description when consideredin connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

,Fig. 1 is an elevation of a preferrcdembodiment of the apparatus of the invention, and

Fig. 2 is a side View of the preferred embodiment of ,the apparatus of the invention, taken from the right hand *side of Fig. 1.

' Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several --,-views,'there is shown in Fig. l, a wafer gager v which is driven by an electric motor 11 and whichis fed with waters from a vibratory feeder 12. The waters which the invention is designed specifically to gage are objects which are generally rectangularinplan.form, and \.'WhiCh are relatively thin. Conveniently,: such a water has equal widths of approximately fisaof an inch, and is approximately of an inch thick. It thus has two flat sides and four edges.

The wafer gager 10 has supporting legs 13, 14, I and 16 and comprises a front plate 21 and a back plate 21a. A platform 17 is at the left side of wafer gager 10 (as seen in Fig. 1). Electric motor 11 is supported on platform 17, and is drivingly connected by means of ;belt 18- to a large pulley 19, rotatably mounted on shaft :20. Shaft 20 is mounted for rotation between plates21 and 21a-by supports 20a and 2012. Also mountedyon :shaft 20 is a pulley 22 which drives pulley 230115113111 :24 by means of a belt 25. Shaft 24 is rotatablytmounted in supports 24a and 24b. Electric motor 11 rotates in a clockwise direction, as seen in Fig. 1, and consequently pulleys 19, 22 and 23 and shaft 24 all rotate clockwise, also.

Mounted between front plate 21 and back plate 21a are shafts 26, 27, 28 and 29, each of which is rotatably mounted in supports designated 26a, 26b, 27a, 27b, 28a,

mum permissible width of a wafer.

2 28b, 29a and 29b, and each of which has thereon a pulley designated 26p, 27p, 28p and 29p, respectively. Shaft 24 has thereon a pulley 24;). A single belt, not shown, connects the pulleys 24p, 26p, 27p, 28p and 29p in such manner that when shaft 24 rotates clockwise,

shafts 28 and 29 will also rotate clockwise and shafts 26 and 27 will rotate counter-clockwise.

Mounted on the end of each of the shafts 24, 26, 27, 28 and 29 which protrudes through the front plate 21-is a gage which is fixed to and rotated by its respective shaft. These gages are designated 24g, 26g, 27g, 28g and 29g, and operate in a manner to be hereinafter described.

Above the platform 17 is a second platform 31, supported by a leg 32 rising from platform 17. On plat- 34, which is supported by an angled bracket 35. The ,Wafers then slide down the slideway 34., which turns them onto .one edge, and conducts them to gage 28g.

As may be seen from Fig. 2, gage 28g comprises-two discs, 36 and 37, which are slightly separated and which have beveled interior edges. The separation of the discs 36 and 37 is equal 'to themaximum permissible thickness of a wafer. As may be seen from'lFig. 1, a finger 38 1s mounted'on frontplate. 21 to the right of gage 28g, and extends into the opening between the discs 36am 37 of gage 28g. A second inclined slideway 39 extends between gag 28g and gage 27g. Slideway 39 receives wafers standing on an edge,- and causes them to turn to a flat side. Slideway 39 is also supported by the angled bracket 35. The

lower. end of slideway39 comprises a flexible metal plate 40 which may be adjusted bymeans of a screw 41 carried by a bracket 42.

Gage 27g is similarin construction to gage 28g, in that it comprises two, spaced beveled discs 43 and 44. The separation of discs 43 and 44 is equal to the maxi- A finger 45 is mounted on front plate 21 to the right of gage 27g, and extendsinto the space between the discs 43 and 44. .A pan 46 .is mounted on front plate 21 below finger 45.

The plate 40 of slideway 39 extends between discs43 and 44, and is radially as far into the space as the inner shoulders of thebevels.

Extending between gage 27g-and 26g is another inclined slideway 47, supported by angled bracket48. It will be seen that the upper end of slideway 47 lies under the lower end, of slideway 39. Thelower end of-slideway-47 -is a plate of fiexiblemetal and is adjustable by mcansof a rota-tably adjustable plate 49. Gage 26g also comprises two spaced, beveled discs; designated50 and 51. The separation ofdiscs 50 and 51 is slightly less than the-minimum permissible width of a wafer. T be lower end of slideway 47 extends between discs '50 and 51, and is radiallyas far into the space as the inner shoulders of the bevels.

A chute 52- has its upper end along the upperrighthand side of-gage 26g, and curves around the gage to a :point near its bottom. .lt -then extends downwardlyfito adis- I charge53, beingasupported 'intermediately by brackets 54 comprises spaced, beveled discs 62 and 63, which are separated a distance equal to the maximum permissible width of a wafer. The plate 59 extends between discs 62 and 63, and is radially as far into the space as the inner shoulders of the bevels. A finger 64 is mounted on front plate 21 to the left of gage 24g, and extends into the space between the discs 62 and 63. A pan 65 is mounted on front plate 21 below finger 64.

A slideway 66 extends between gage 24g and gage 29g, and is supported by a bracket 67. The lower end of slideway 66 comprises a flexible metal plate 63, which may be adjusted by a moveable plate 69. The gage 29g comprises two spaced, beveled discs, 70 and 71. The separation of discs 70 and 71 is slightly less than the minimum permissible width of a wafer. The plate 68 extends between discs 70 and 71, and is radially as far into the space as the inner shoulders of the bevels. A shield 72 extends around the upper part of gage 29g and a slideway 73 extends between the discs 70 and 71. A slideway 74 is joined to slideway 73, and beneath its lower end is conveniently placed a receptacle 75.

In operation, wafers are caused to move from the vibratory feeder 12 through the aperture 33 therein and onto the slideway 34 on a flat side. A wafer slides down slideway 34, which turns it from its flat side onto an edge, in a known manner. Thus, it approaches gage 28g while sliding along on an edge. Gage 28g is rotating in a clockwise direction, and the wafer is fed to the space between discs 36 and 37 of gage 28g. A wafer which is not too thick will pass through gage 28g, while a wafer which is too thick will lodge between the beveled edges of discs 36 and 37 and will be whirled by the discs from approximately the nine oclock position to the three oclock position, where it will strike against finger 38. Finger 38 will dislodge the wafer, and it is thus rejected and disposed of.

A wafer passing through gage 28g will enter onto slideway 39, which will turn it from its edge to a flat side, and will feed it to gage 27g, rotating counterclockwise. A wafer which is not too wide will pass through the discs 43 and 44 of gage 27g, while a wafer which is too wide will lodge between the beveled edges of discs 43 and 44 and will be whirled counterclockwise from the seven oclock position to the three oclock position, where it will strike against finger 45, be dislodged, and fall into pan 46. Plate 40 will have been adjusted by means of screw 41 so that wafers will be forced into the gage 27g radially inwardly of the beveled portion of the discs 43 and 44, thus causing each wafer to be gaged by the discs at their narrowest point. Wafers which lodge in the beveled part of the discs will cause plate 40 to deflect to permit them to pass.

A wafer passing through gage 27g will enter onto slideway 47, which will feed it to gage 26g, rotating counterclockwise. A wafer which is too small (not wide enough) will pass through the discs 50 and 51 of gage 26g and will fall onto chute 52, and then slide down chute 52 to discharge point 53, where it will be collected in a reject container, not shown. A wafer which is not too small, that is, which is wide enough, will lodge between the bevel edges of discs 50 and 51 and will be whirled counterclockwise from approximately the eight oclock position to the nine oclock position, where it will strike and lodge in slideway 57. The lower end of slideway 47 serves the same function as plate 40 of slideway 39. Shield 56 prevents proper sized wafers from being thrownout by centrifugal force.

A wafer which lands in slideway 57 will have had its width tested for being oversize and undersize by the gages 27g and 26g, respectively. After a wafer has passed the juncture of slideways 57 and 58, its direction is changed, so that its other width will be presented to the gages 24g and 29g for gaging said other width of the wafer. Otherwise stated, one width of the wafer is gaged by gages 27g and 26g, and the wafer is then turned around so that its other width will be gaged by gages 24g and 29g. Gage 24g will function in the same manner as gage 27g to reject oversize wafers and cause them to collect in pan 65, and gage 29g will function in the same manner as gage 26g, and permit undersize wafers to pass through. Proper size wafers will collect in slideway 73, and slide down slideway 74 into the receptacle 75.

From the above, it will be seen that wafers which are too thick will be gaged and rejected by gage 28g. Wafers which are not too thick will pass to gage 27g which will gage one width of each Wafer and reject those which are oversize. The remaining wafers will pass to gage 26g, which will gage the same width, and reject those which are undersize. The direction of the wafers accepted by gage 26g will be changed, and the other width gaged in the same manner by gages 24g and 29g.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that Within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed is:

1. In a gager for rectangular wafers, means to gage A said wafers and reject those which are too thick, means to gage one width of said wafers to reject those which are too wide, means for transferring said wafers between said gage means, means to gage said width and reject those which are too narrow, means for transferring said wafers between said width gage means, means to receive said wafers from said latter gage means and to turn said wafers through an angle of ninety degrees, means connected to said turning means to gage the other width of said wafers and reject those which are too wide, means to gage said other width and reject those which are too narrow, and means for transferring said wafers between said latter width gage means.

2. In a gager for rectangular wafers, means to gage one width of said wafers and reject those which are too wide, means to gage said width and reject those which are too narrow, means for transferring said wafers between said gage means, means to receive said wafers from said latter gage means and to turn said wafers through an angle of ninety degrees, means connected to said turning means to gage the other width of said wafers and reject those which are too wide, and means to gage said other width and reject those which are too narrow, and means for transferring said wafers between said latter width gage means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 617,815 Roberts Ian. 17, 1899 964,670 Moncreiffe July 19, 1910 1,104,727 Bell July 21, 1914 1,492,867 Thompson May 6, 1924 1,580,955 Burdick Apr. 13, 1926 1,609,994 Ellis Dec. 7, 1926 r 2,364,187 Birdsall Dec. 5, 1944 2,431,099 Wiseman et al. Nov. 18, 1947 2,471,489 Lucas et al. May 31, 1949 

